Larvitar Line/HGSS
Wild Larvitar can be encountered within the mountain area of the Johto Safari Zone, and in Mt. Silver Cave in both versions. Within the chamber which contains the expert belt, wild Pupitar can also be obtained, although their level varies depending on version. Notorious throughout the generations for its sheer power and unpredictability, the Larvitar line has never really been much of an ingame mon, due to its uncommon nature and late arrival in the games in which it is present. However, the Johto remakes fixed one of these issues by making Larvitar obtainable through the Safari Zone well in advance of it's previously late postgame apperances. So if you are lucky enough to catch this little fella, and are willing to baby it until becoming a Tyranitar, you will be rewarded with an offensive juggernaut of a Pokémon, which is only matched in power by Dragonite and Ho-Oh. Important Matchups * Gym #5 - Chuck (Cianwood City, Fighting-type): No. Neither Larvitar or Pupitar want anything to do with Focus Punch from either of his Pokémon, and Poliwrath's Surf is just overkill. * Gym #6 - Jasmine (Olivine City, Steel-type): If you have taught Pupitar Dig, feel free to take out her Magnemites with it as they lack ways to do damage besides Sonicboom and fishing for confusion rolls. Steelix should be avoided, as STAB Iron Tail hurts, and it has plently of defence to withstand a few hits. * Petrel (Team Rocket HQ): Spam Rock Slide and watch his team fall, only thing that might be an issue is if Raticate crits with Crunch, but even then that only 4HKOs in contrast to Rock Slide 2HKOing. * Ariana (Team Rocket HQ, tag battle with Lance): Dragonite is going to obliterate anything it is sent to attack, meanwhile Pupitar can sit back and relax as the only thing that can really threaten it is Ariana's Gloom. It should be noted that Arbok's Intimidate is mildly annoying given Pupitar's physical nature. * Gym #7 - Pryce (Mahogany Town, Ice-type): Due to Seel lacking any Water moves, Pupitar can happily 2HKO it with Rock Slide in exchange for Icy Wind being a possible 5HKO. Dewgong is a riskier prospect as there is a chance that Aurora Beam will 2HKO Pupitar, but Rock Slide is still a certain 2HKO. Avoid Piloswine, as Blizzard has a chance to OHKO. * Petrel (Goldenrod Radio Tower): Explosions, explosions everywhere. Thankfully, as a bulky Rock-type, Pupitar is a pretty solid bet for enduring the detonations, although healing will be required. * Rival (Goldenrod Underground): Pupitar gets to go on a rampage here, effortless dealing with most of his team through the use of Dig, Rock Slide and Payback. However, Meganium and Feraligatr should be avoided for obvious reasons (i.e. Petal Dance and Water Gun respectively). * Proton (Goldenrod Radio Tower): '''The worst thing that his Golbat can do to Pupitar is confuse it, meanwhile Rock Slide is going to OHKO it in response. Weezing is slightly more of a threat, as it can actually take a few hits, however, the worst thing it can do is spam Smokescreen and hope to poison before it gets 4HKO'd. * '''Ariana (Goldenrod Radio Tower): Arbok can be annoying, through the combination of Intimidate, Glare and Wrap. However, even after Intimidate, Dig is a 2HKO if Pupitar is reasonably leveled for this point. Do not even attempt to fight Vileplume with Pupitar, it will end poorly. Murkrow on the other hand, is fair game with Rock Slide, just be careful of Night Shade. * Archer (Goldenrod Radio Tower): '''Rock Slide will OHKO Houndour, although flinches from Bite may prolong things. Koffing is about as threatening as the Weezings you fought to get here, just whitle it down. Houndoom will live a Rock Slide, and Bite being a 3HKO is a potential hazard depending on how the rng treats you. In a perfect world, Pupitar wins however. * '''Gym #8 - Clair (Blackthorn City, Dragon-type): Amusingly, you can take on her Gyarados as it lacks a Water-type move. As such Rock Slide 3HKOs through Intimidate, while Dragon Pulse is a 5HKO in exchange, just be careful of Dragon Rage. One of her Dragonair have Aqua Tail, the other has Fire Blast. Aqua Tail will OHKO Pupitar, so unless you've scouted out what Dragonair is which, do not engage either. Even then Dragon Pulse and Rock Slide are both 3HKOs with the Dragonair being faster. It should be obvious why Kingdra should be given as wide a berth as possible by anything weak to Water, and Pupitar is no exception. * Kimono Girls (Ecruteak Dance Theater): Pupitar can safely engage Flareon and Jolteon, due to either resisting or being immune to all of their main options. From there it can take them out with its STAB moves. Espeon hits too hard, Vaporeon is a Water-type and Umbreon is extremely bulky, for the sake of conivence and safety, let other Pokémon engage these. * Ho-Oh (Bell Tower, HeartGold only): While this might seem like an easy fight based on type match up, and Ho-oh is 2HKO'd by Rock Slide unless you've brought a Larvitar to it, Ho-oh still hits extremely hard. Sacred Fire and Fire Blast are 3HKOs under regular conditions, and if its used Sunny Day beforehand, a critical hit will OHKO Pupitar. You need something bulkier for this, that or the Master ball. * Lugia (Whirl Islands, SoulSilver only): Hydro Pump. Pupitar is Rock/Ground. Refrain from sending it out here. * Rival (Victory Road): '''Sneasle may have posed somewhat of a problem for Pupitar if it was not relying on Icy Wind for STAB, which only 5HKOs, meanwhile Rock Slide flattens it in retalitation, and the speed drop does not matter much. Magneton can potential 3HKO with Magnet Bomb, however Dig decimates it, just expect him to potentially switch into Golbat or Haunter should either of them still be present. Golbat is more of an annoyance than a legitimate threat, as the worst it can do is spam Bite and Confuse Ray to do small amounts of damage before falling to Rock Slide. If Haunter opens with Mean Look, it gets OHKO'd by Crunch, if it opens with Shadow Ball, it does about a third to Pupitar and then gets OHKO'd. Kadabra is able to 3HKO Pupitar with Psybeam, however it crumples to any hit from Pupitar in response, with Reflect merely reducing the incoming attacks to a 2HKO. However this may complicate fights against his other Pokémon. With the starters same rules apply as last time, Meganium and Feraligatr are death setences while Typhlosion is fair game, although Lava Plume's high burn chance may prove to be a pain. * '''Elite Four Will (Indigo Plateau, Psychic-type): If Johto's level curve was about ten levels higher, at this point you would have been advised to unleash Tyranitar upon him. However, you probably have a Pupitar somewhere around level 43-48 at this point so things are not that easy. His lead Xatu will do one of three things, either hit Pupitar with Psychic for roughly 40% before being 2HKOd at worse by Rock Slide or U-turn into something else. That or it will use Confuse Ray, before hopefully being flattened by Rock Slide. Jynx and Slowbro are to be avoided as both pack STAB options to kill off Pupitar before it does anything. Exeggutor is 3HKO'd at worse by Crunch and struggles to do much in retaliation. It does have Reflect though, so that just stalls things out even more than necessary. In regards to his other Xatu, it is basically the same as the first one, except it hits slightly harder with Psychic, so be wary of critical hits. * Elite Four Koga (Indigo Plateau, Poison-type): Ariados is a simple job for Pupitar to deal with, as Rock Slide OHKOs. Even with the threat of Giga Drain potentially being a 2HKO, the odds are stacked in your favour if Pupitar is leveled in line with Lance. Fortress will happily set up more layers of Toxic Spikes then you thought possible by the time Pupitar comes close to bringing it down as Earthquake has a tiny chance of 3HKOing it. Additionally Explosion hurts, 2HKOing despite the resistance, so send in a fire-type and torch it before it does anything. Muk is 2HKO'd by Earthquake, however while it might not be able to do much in terms of damage to Pupitar, as it needs to Screech three times to have Gunk Shot 2HKO, Minimize can make this a luck based disaster. It is techincally in your favour however, so just hope for good rng. Venomoth and Crobat both want to whittle Pupitar down with Toxic and Psychic/Evasion boosts respectively, Rock Slide 2HKOs both, meanwhile the former's Psychic is a 4HKO. * Elite Four Bruno (Indigo Plateau, Fighting-type): No, just no. Take everything wrong with the fight with Chuck and remove the reliance on Focus Punch for STAB options. You're so close to Tyranitar now, don't risk it all now. * Elite Four Karen (Indigo Plateau, Dark-type): Umbreon uses Pupitar as set up fodder with Double Team making the 4HKO Rock Slide is trying for almost impossible. Lead with something able to handle this quickly instead. Avoid Vileplume because Petal Dance will ruin Pupitar before it has a chance to even attempt to fight back. Murkow is a fairly easy target by contrast, with Sucker Punch being a 3HKO in contrast to Rock Slide's OHKO. Gengar is too powerful for Pupitar to take on, even if Crunch is a 2HKO because of Focus Blast being a probable OHKO and the threat of Destiny Bond is enough to deter most killing hits. Houndoom is a somewhat shaky prospect, as while Earthquake will OHKO it at equal levels, Dark Pulse is a 2HKO and the flinch chance is unideal. However if she chooses to use Nasty Plot first turn, you win. * Champion Lance (Indigo Plateau, Flying-type): Unlike his cousin, Lance had the sense to run a (mostly) physical Gyarados packing STAB Waterfall, do not engage with Pupitar under any circumstance. Avoid all three of his Dragonite as well, as their STAB moves of choice will effortlessly 2HKO Pupitar while Rock Slide has a slim chance to do the same. One of the level 49 ones also has Blizzard, which will rip through Pupitar if it hits. Pupitar does get to flex on Charizard, obliterating it with Rock Slide, however Air Slash's high flinch chance can be problematic. Aerodactyl is similar as it is 2HKO'd by Rock Slide by a level 48 Pupitar, however its only can be annoying depending on the rng. Kanto From this point onwards, you can fight the gyms in any order, though you will need to retrieve the Machine Parts from the Cerulean City gym before you have access to the earlier portion of Kanto. Feel free to anticipate or postpone any battles as needed. * Gym #9 - Brock (Pewter City, Rock-type): '''A freshly evolved Tyranitar demolishes his lead Graveller, with any Water move (Aqua Tail or Surf in particular) effortlessly OHKOing it before it can even attempt to fight back. Even with just Earthquake Tyranitar wins, being faster and sharing a 2HKO, which can be swung even further in its favour with a shuca berry. Rhyhorn has it even worse as it struggles to 2HKO Tyranitar with Earthquake while being exterminated in the same manner as it's teammate. Omastar would seem threatening at first glance, as Tyranitar would need significant investment in order to OHKO it with either Earthquake or Thunderbolt. However sandstorm gives all Rock-Types a 50% Special Defence boost, this completely invalidates Brine as a threat, now only 3HKOing, while Earthquake is still on track for a 2HKO in exchange. Kabutops does little to threaten Tyranitar under normal circumstances, however Aqua Jet being a 4HKO means you should be careful if previous fights have left your Pokémon weakened. Otherwise Earthquake 2HKOs. Onix goes down with as little fanfare as its fellow Rock/Ground-types as Iron Tail is a 4HKO in contrast to whatever Tyranitar wanting to do to it being a 2HKO at worst. * '''Rival (Mt. Moon, optional): Tyranitar gets to display the full extent of its destructive power here. With Crunch making mincemeat out of Gengar and Alakazam, both of whom struggle to fight back, Earthquake OHKOing Magneton and your Rock move of choice removing Golbat and Sneasel without issue. In regards to his starter; Typhlosion gets buried alive by whatever Rock-type move you're rocking with, however Meganium and Feraligatr are significantly dicier prospects. While Tyranitar can comfortably beat Meganium due to Sand Stream reducing Petal Dance to a 4HKO in contrast to Stone Edge/Ice move of choice being 2HKOs, Feraligatr has a chance to OHKO if it crits Tyranitar with Waterfall, and as it outspeeds, even if Thunderbolt or Stone Edge are 2HKOs, best to keep your distance. * Gym #10 - Misty (Cerulean City, Water-type): Despite type disadvantage, Tyranitar can put in a hefty shift here, starting with Golduck. Water Pulse is only a potential 4HKO thanks to sand, and Thunderbolt/Stone Edge 2HKO in response. Quagsire is not a fight that Tyranitar wants to pick, as Crunch shares a potential 2HKO with its Earthquake. Lapras however, most certainly is, as Water Pulse dose miserably low amounts of damage for being super effective and Stone Edge/Rock Slide 2HKO back. Starmie can hit you with Confuse Ray, but Tyranitar's impressive defence stat will keep the damage incoming from that avenue in check. In terms of actual combat, Crunch OHKOs in response to Water Pulse only being a 3HKO if Tyranitar is level 55. * Gym #11 - Lt. Surge (Vermilion City, Electric-type): Earthquake intensifies, regardless if you have a Pupitar or a Tyranitar. Even if his Electabuzz attempts to Low Kick Tyranitar, it needs to crit to OHKO, meanwhile Earthquake unleashes the apocalypse upon each and every member of his team, although the Double Team spam that his team exploits can be frustrating, so a faster Earthquake user might be worth sending in to slaughter his team faster. * Gym #12 - Erika (Celadon City, Grass-type): Buckle in, this is going to be a rather interesting weather war if Tyranitar takes to the field. While Jumpluff is little threat on its own, as it is OHKO'd by either option Tyranitar has for Rock STAB or any Ice move, Sunny Day strips Tyranitar of its padding against special hits, and grants the rest of her team doubled speed while the sun is out. While this can be exploited against Tangela as Giga Drain is a 3HKO in contrast to Fire Blast being complete overkill in the sun, her other Pokémon are far too dangerous to fight in their preferred weather, and have the ability to reset it should Tyranitar attempt to change conditions to be more favourable to it. Granted, if either Victreebel or Bellosom have to manually set up their weather, Tyranitar can lay waste to them. However the threat of STAB Leaf Storm and Solarbeam respectively makes this a rare occasion where it is safer to expend caution with how you use Tyranitar and send in one of the countless things that resist Grass in to clean up. * Gym #13 - Janine (Fuchsia City, Poison-type): '''Tyranitar hits incredibly hard against Crobat, ignoring basically any attempts at resistance before bringing it down with its Rock STAB of choice. Weezing likewise struggles to damage Tyranitar, with even Explosion after Crobat's Screech barely managing a 2HKO. Toxic is honestly the most annoying thing it could do, but that can be solved with item use. All three of her Bug-types implode to Rock moves or Fire coverage and fail in doing much damage before the end comes. * '''Gym #14 - Sabrina (Saffron City, Psychic-type): In competitive play even in more recent generations, Tyranitar is generally considered one of the best answers to dealing with Psychic-Type Pokémon due to its ability to trap them with Pursuit and Crunch. While Pursuit is pretty much useless since the AI rarely switches (and requires breeding with a Treecko line father, rather hard to obtain in HGSS before fighting Red), Crunch will easily OHKO her entire team while they lack any real way to harm Tyranitar in exchange. * Gym #15 - Blaine (Seafoam Islands, Fire-type): More Pokémon for Tyranitar to decimate with its sheer bulk and typing. Earthquake Magcargo for an easy OHKO, and then spam either that or your Rock STAB of choice against his other Pokémon for quick KOs. Feel free to just switch Tyranitar in and out even if you do not want to use it in this fight for whatever reason, as its Sand Stream removes his attempts to use Sunny Day. * Gym #16 - Blue (Viridian City): Crunch has a small chance to OHKO Exeggutor outright, however a critical Leaf Storm will OHKO Tyranitar through sand, best avoided even if you have rindo berries, as Tyranitar can put in work later. Trick Room is interesting here, as while Tyranitar is relatively slow, Blue does have a few Pokémon which underspeed it. For example while it allows Tyranitar to completely ignore Arcanine getting in a second Dragon Pulse as Intimidate makes Stone Edge a 2HKO, it lets Rhydon get an Earthquake or Megahorn off before Tyranitar hits it. Given that both Pokémon are trying to 2HKO each other, this can quickly become dangerous. Machamp has Dynamic Punch and Tyranitar is not OHKOing it under any circumstances, do not even consider fighting it with Tyranitar. Gyarados can set up Dragon Dance under the cover of Intimidate, and Waterfall starts as a 2HKO. However, Stone Edge can potentially OHKO even after the attack drop, and Thunderbolt is a surefire OHKO if you have it, best done under Trick Room however, to avoid the risk of a critical hit ending Tyranitar. Pidgeot is easy by comparision to the rest of his team, falling without too much resistance to your Rock move of choice. * Rival (Indigo Plateau, optional): '''Tyranitar still demolishes most of the rival's team without too much effort. However, while dispatching Sneasel, Magneton, Crobat and Gengar may be as easy as picking the appropriate attack, Alakazam now has Focus Blast to complicate matters. This does an uncomfortable amount of damage, with a crit being a death sentence to a level 60 Tyranitar. It is here that a Chople berry can come to the rescue, bringing Focus Blast down to a mere 3HKO, opening the way for Crunch to safely OHKO. In regards to his starter, Typhlosion now has Will-o-Wisp to try and delay Tyranitar extingushing it but the other two are best avoided. * '''Red (Mt. Silver): Pikachu can put a pretty nasty dent in Tyranitar, abusing the combination of its high level, Light Ball and Iron Tail to 2HKO. Use of babiri berry to limit the punishment incoming before it gets OHKO'd by any move of choice is advised. Just be wary that Volt Tackle is also a 2HKO on a level 75 Tyranitar. He'll likely bring in either Venusaur or Blastoise here, either way, Tyranitar needs to withdraw for the time being. Both pack their respective elemental beam, which will finish off what Pikachu started, even from full if they land a critical hit. Blastoise even has Focus Blast to choose how to fight. Tyranitar's biggest boon here is removing the hail that normally dominates this battle, denying Red access to 100% accurate Blizzards. This shines against Lapras, as while Blizzard is dangerous under normal conditions, sand makes it an inaccurate 4HKO allowing for an easy Stone Edge 2HKO. It also completely invalidates Snorlax, which struggles to deal damage to Tyranitar in sand, allowing for it to be slowly taken down with Crunch for a likely 3HKO, or Low Kicked to death. As for Charizard, well just put the poor thing out of its misery with whatever Rock move you want. Moves At the lowest possible level that the line can be caught, Larvitar will know Leer, Screech, Sandstorm and Rock Slide. Three of these are not worth it, the last is an amazing STAB option, and can easily stay with it for its entire life. At level 19, Larvitar picks up Scary Face, which despite the line's low speed making this seem like an attractive prospect, they lack the bulk until fully evolved and even then Tyranitar can be doing better things. Next is Thrash, learnt at level 23. Not worth it, 90 base power Normal which locks you in for three turns is meh and potentially dangerous when grinding up your future Tyranitar. The last move Larvitar gets before evolving is Dark Pulse, at level 28. While unappealing due to its currently low Special Attack, it might be worth revisiting if you choose to run Tyranitar specially. As a Pupitar, the first move it learns is at level 34. Payback is interesting, as the line's somewhat low speed makes it a frequent 100 power STAB move. However, if you are more interested in consistent power regardless of the foe's action, Crunch is for you and comes at level 41. Adding to the insanity that is soon to be unleashed is that Pupitar naturally learns Earthquake at level 47. It should not be understated how valuable this is. Finally, at level 51, merely 4 levels from becoming the all mighty titan it wants to be, Pupitar learns Stone Edge, while somewhat of a joke due to its shakey accuracy, hits like a bus on anything that does not resist it. The only move left in its natural learnset at this point is Hyper Beam, learnt at 60 as Pupitar and 70 as Tyranitar, not worth it, even if you wanted to use it, you have had access to the TM for a long time. While its natural movepool is small but concentrated on raw physical destruction, it is through TMs and tutors that Tyranitar truly gets to flaunt its sheer versatility. Through TM it gets a titanic range of coverage options on both sides of the attacking spectrum. Noticeable moves here include Dragon Claw, Fire Blast, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Shadow Claw, Avalanche, Brick Break, Surf and that's not looking at the cluster of support options open to it. In that sense it gets Stealth Rock, Roar, Thunder Wave, Rock Polish, Toxic, Taunt and Substitute. By tutors, this only becomes even more diverse, picking up the elemental fangs and punches, Aqua Tail, Earth Power, Outrage, Superpower and Iron Head. Recommended Movesets: ''Physical attacker: Stone Edge/Rock Slide, Crunch, Earthquake, pick physical coverage move or Rock Polish'' ''Special attacker: Dark Pulse, Ice Beam, Fire Blast, Stone Edge'' ''Mixed attacker: Pick and choose any of the moves mentioned above or in the general section, its Tyranitar, it can basically do anything you want it do.'' Recommended Teammates *'Fighting resists:' While Tyranitar may be a nearly unstoppable tyrant against nearly everything Kanto has to throw at it, Fighting-types are there to keep its rampage in check, resisting both of its STAB types and threatening to decimate Tyranitar due to its 4x weakness to the type. Psychic, Bug and Ghost-types are traditional answers to keep these threats in line, and enjoy Tyranitar's tendency to tear apart Pokémon that can threaten them. ** A few examples of Pokémon that fit this description, among others include: Alakazam, Heracross, Gengar, Venomoth and Espeon. *'Grass-types: '''While they may share a Bug weakness with Tyranitar, their ability to mop up hits from Water-types, Ground-types and opposing Grass-types are appreciated by Tyranitar, even if Sand Stream makes it extremely bulky on the special side. Meanwhile, Tyranitar continues its reign of terror against every single type that can threaten Grass-types. **''A few examples of Pokémon that fit this description, among others include: Meganium, Victreebel, Vileplume and Tangrowth. *'Fast attackers:' Tyranitar is famous for its bulky offensive nature, even then there are moments when striking first is crucial. As such, fast attackers that can apply quick pressure are valuable teammates for Tyranitar. **''A few examples of Pokémon that fit this description, among others include:'' Typhlosion, Gengar, Starmie, Raikou. Other Larvitar's stats Pupitar's stats Tyranitar's stats * What Nature do I want? '''In all honesty, it comes down to what you want your Tyranitar to do. If you want it to be Physical, try and aim for something like Adamant, if you want special Tyranitar go Modest, although speed lowering natures are probably ideal to keep your options open. * '''At what point in the game should I be evolved? Realistically Larvitar should be evolved before it sees any combat, as the stat buff that comes with evolution being crucial to its fighting capabilities in Johto. Pupitar should be evolved during your trip through Kanto, with the quicker you manage to get a Tyranitar, the earlier the rampage begins. * How good is the Larvitar line in a Nuzlocke? 'In Johto? Pupitar is a pretty solid Pokémon, basically being a better Graveller, however Golem and Rhydon are superior to it, and are more common to boot. Tyranitar on the other hand is one of the best Pokémon in the game, effortlessly able to go head to head with the vast majority of what the Kanto half of your adventure has to offer. So overall it is a reliable Pokémon that goes from being a generic Rock/Ground-type physical tank to an almighty juggernaut of a Pokémon able to sweep most of the post game solo, you just need to be paitent as it grows. ''Larvitar and Pupitar's Type Matchups * '''Weaknesses: Fighting, Ground, Steel, Water (x4), Grass (x4), Ice * Resistances: Normal, Flying, Poison, Rock, Fire * Immunities: Electric * Neutralities: Bug, Ghost, Psychic, Dragon, Dark Tyranitar's Type Matchups * Weaknesses: Fighting (x4), Ground, Bug, Steel, Water, Grass * Resistances: Normal, Flying, Poison, Ghost, Fire, Dark * Immunities: Psychic * Neutralities: Rock, Ice, Electric, Dragon Category:HeartGold/SoulSilver Category:List of Evolutionary Lines with Completed Analyses